Earth Island News

Earth Island Project Reports

Hazardous wastes are routinely converted into fertilizer, which is then
used on farms, lawns, and gardens, contaminating our air, soil, water,
and food. These wastes, containing lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium,
dioxin, and radionuclides, have never been proven safe for use as
fertilizer. Safe Food and Fertilizer, Earth Island Institute's newest project, has been created to address this issue. Directed by Patricia Anne Martin,
the project is designed to increase public awareness about hazardous
wastes in fertilizer and other agricultural products. The former mayor
of Quincy, Washington, Martin has been committed to battling this
environmental hazard since 1997. For more information about this
project, please email martin@nwi.net, phone (509) 787-4275, or visit www.safefoodandfertilizer.org.

Earth Island Institute is currently made up of 38 projects. Project
applications are reviewed four times a year by Institute staff and the
board of directors. Normally 12 to 15 applications are considered, and
only two or three projects are accepted annually. The entire process,
from initial review to acceptance, takes approximately four months. The
next deadline for project applications is June 25. If you have an idea
for an environmental project, contact EII Project Support Director Susan Kamprath at skamprath@earthisland.org, or by calling (415) 788-3666.

Bay Area Wilderness Training (BAWT) is proud to offer its first
site-based course this spring -- the Mt. Diablo Complete. The workshop,
to be held May 2-4, will help educators deepen the connection between
wilderness and urban environments and will also give participants a
chance to take in Mt. Diablo's many views and wide array of wildlife.
Views from the 3,949-foot summit include the Farallon Islands and the
Sierra Nevada. Abundant wildlife on Mt. Diablo includes coastal
black-tailed deer, gray foxes, bobcats, mountain lions, badgers, and
coyotes, as well as the red-legged frog and the rare Alameda whipsnake.
This course will give educators new to the outdoor classroom a
step-by-step approach to exposing their youth to nature's wonders. To
find out more about this course and other spring/summer courses, visit www.bawt.org.

Four past winners of the Brower Youth Awards presented a
panel on "Youth Environmental Leadership" at the 21st Annual Public
Interest Environmental Law Conference on March 8 at the University of
Oregon in Eugene. Amir Nadav (BYA '02), Barbara Brown (BYA '00), Stefanie Lacy (BYA '02), and Jessian Choy (BYA '02) followed in the footsteps of EII founder David Brower, who spoke at the Conference for its first 18 years. The panel discussion was facilitated by Brower Legacy Field Director Mikhail Davis. The BYA winners got a chance to network with EII project directors, Tom Turner of Earthjustice Legal Defense, and other longtime Brower friends.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2003 Brower Youth Awards
and are available on line at www.earthisland.org/bya.

KIDS for the BAY still has spaces available in its summer
environmental science camps. Children ages 5-10 will join environmental
educators to study the ecology of lakes, creeks, and the San Francisco
Bay. Call KIDS for the BAY at (510) 985-1602 for an application form.
Application deadline is May 30, 2003.